Fox Penning: Because Regular Hunting Isn't Cruel Enough

by Michelle Hodkin · 2010-07-30 11:30:00 UTC
Topics:

Last week, an article ran in the Examiner entitled Local Hunters Concerned About the Future of Fox Pens.

For those who don’t kill live animals for fun, let me explain: fox pens are fenced-in areas in which foxes, usually imported from other states, or coyotes, which can be trapped in the wild , are placed in the enclosures. After which hunting dogs are then turned lose in a pack and trained to attack the lone animal. For sport.

In June, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously to end the use of fox pens after Jeremy Maines, a resident of Northwest Florida, helped bring the issue of fox pens to light. He created a site called endthehunt.org, which features facts, links, photographs of dead and injured coyotes, and a video of dogs tearing one of the cornered animals apart.

Good times.

The video was shot at a fox pen owned by Mike Howington, who has since been ordered to turn over his permit to operate the facility. In Florida, fox pens have to provide at least 100 acres of enclosed space and have fences at least six feet tall to be legal. There were only six legal pens in Florida, and hopefully soon, there won’t be any.

But in Greenville, SC, that isn’t the case. There are nine fox pens in the area, and hunters are terrified, poor things, that with the recent decision in Florida and the recent proposal of Senate Bill 515 to ban fox pens in North Carolina, that South Carolina might be next.

Pete Warren, a fox pen owner and vocal opponent of the aforementioned legislation, states: “Fox pen hunting is not about the kill, as they would have people believe, but about the chase. It is not the objective of the hunter to kill anything.”

Am I the only one confused by that statement? Warren’s pen may be 750 acres, with “35 places for the foxes to hide,” but they won’t be able to hide forever. The wild animals are trapped. And when the pack of dogs sent to hunt them finally finds them, they are torn to pieces.

It should be enough for hunters that they’re legally able to hunt and kill foxes and coyotes. They shouldn’t be allowed to trap them to do it. There are nine fox pens in the Greenville, SC area alone, and while the hunters are concerned about their fun, I'm concerned about animal cruelty. Send a message to South Carolina and let them know that you are, too.

Photo credit: ingridtaylar

Michelle Hodkin is an author, a lawyer, and a longtime advocate for animals.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Justice Department Rules Against Dog Discrimination
NEXT STORY:
Petitions Delivered Around the World for Release of Indonesian Circus Dolphins

COMMENTS (10)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.